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Thread: What's the difference between 15 ga and 16 ga?

  1. #16
    I used to use a Senco 15 gauge nailer for trim work, then got into oak trim. Cracked a lot of trim. The 16 gauge is easier on the trim. For softer woods, 15 gauge is great. When I got a new nailer, I got the Hitachi 16 gauge without the angle, and it has worked fine. They also have the Hitachi with the angle, higher priced as are the nails. Hitachi nailers hardly ever need repairs. The old Senco needed to be rebuilt regularly. What really sucked was when it started driving the nail about 1/2" into oak and then sticking. The repair people said there was nothing wrong with it.

  2. #17
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    John, this thread must have hogged up all the Hitachis at Amazon, they now give me a date of Sept 18...

    No problem, I just found it at Sears.com for $135.... saved a few bucks... in stock...

    BTW, good point brought up about the 15g being angled vs. the straight 16 g nailer

  3. #18
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    Ahhhh, well, now I know the difference between 15g and 16g. Got the Hitachi 15g and used it on a hardwood project. I have used 16g up till now as my largest finish nailer.... and as others have mentioned, the 15g is a real nail...vs. those wimpy 16g brads... :-)

    My fear in the past with 15g was, with hardwoods, like Maple, Walnut, Cherry, the 15g would crack the wood... well, these nailers are so damn good, I had zero cracks, even when nailing near the edge of Maple... I was driving 2.5" nails... and they drove like a hot knife through butter....

    If I was to do it over again, I would probably go with an 18g and 15g, the 16g is a real luxury to own if you have the other two. Of course, a 23g is still useful for very small projects, as the damn pin is nearly invisible after insertion, great for small stuff...

    The Hitachi 15g MA4 lived up to all the other Hitachi nailers I have... superb... a great product at a great price point. Its possible other brands are equally good, I have not tried them all, but would never hesitate to reccomend Hitachi nailers. I started with Hitachi after rave reviews, and now I am one of those who will continue to rave about their nailers. I payed $135 on sale at Sears.com.

    oh, final comment.... the 15g nailer is HUGE vs. Hitachi's 16g.... can't see this in the pictures, but side by side, its very significant... I would say its as big as my Bostich nail driver (for framing)

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